Soviet Union (Embassies)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of Soviet personnel at present working at the Russian embassy in London; how many British personnel are employed at the Russian embassy in London; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of British personnel in the British embassy in Moscow; how many Russian personnel are employed at the embassy in Moscow; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest development in the reallocation of a site and building of a new British embassy in Moscow; and if he will make a statement.

Negotiations with the Soviet Government over the reciprocal provision of embassy sites in London and Moscow have taken place, intermittently, over many years. In May 1986, the two sides initialled the text of a sites exchange agreement under which there would be a (cost free) exchange of two sites in Moscow for two sites in London. Our objective is to sign this agreement soon, but the Soviet side has not yet been willing to proceed to signature.